RSS forms 41 Sakthi Kendras' in Chengannur

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The RSS state leadership has formed 41 “Sakthi Kendras” in Chengannur’s 164 booth committees where the booth in-charge as well as the voter’s list page in-charge have started grassroot level work. They have taken a leaf from the Tripura Assembly election’s thumping win for their “mission Kerala” envisaged by the national RSS leadership. Their poll strategy is to “connect” with every voter in Chengannur on a daily basis in run-up to bypoll.

Though the RSS maintains that it is apolitical, there is a convergence between its cadres and the BJP on ways to breach bastions and reach out to voters.  Though Alappuzha BJP district president K. Soman maintained to DC that the RSS state leadership was yet to appoint their leader in Chengannur, it is reliably learnt that O. K. Anil, Vibhag Karyavahak has been entrusted with the charge of poll preparations in 10 panchayats and Chengannur Muncipality in the constituency. Repeated efforts to reach him remained futile.

The RSS has formed clusters having four to five booths in the Chengannur Assembly constituency. While so far, the BJP and RSS have only formed in-charges and page in-charges, by March 20, NDA too will place their workers in all the 164 booths. A top BJP leader told DC that nine BJP core committee members including BJP candidate P. S. Sreedharan Pillai but excluding O. Rajagopal MLA (because of health issues) have already started their electoral work in Chengannur.

“The Sangh puts a distance between its work and the electoral politics of the BJP. But the poll strategy of the RSS is to meet every voter in the constituency and every hardcore loyalist in the opposition can be brought to our fold by connecting with them on a daily basis”, said a top BJP leader to DC.

BJP leaders have been apprised by the RSS netas that the voters belonging to other political parties should not be wooed with false promises, but they should be approached with facts. In the second leg of their campaign, every voter would be informed about the central Government’s welfare schemes and those eligible voters would get the benefit of it.

According to the state BJP leadership, Chengannur Assembly constituency has got 67 -69 percent Hindu voters, 26 – 28 percent Christians and 10, 000 Muslims, and they have been apprised to fight perceptions about the plan to impose ‘Hindutva’.